1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of the play NOT THE FILM of Real Women Have Curves. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?” The play begins on the morning of September 7th, 1987 in a sewing factory in Los Angeles. It opens with the factory workers walking in one by one, all hispanic women, some related. (Estela, Ana and Carmen) The story starts out with concerns over body image and fear of the government in terms of immigration and citizenship. The women also seem to be concerned with Estela's love interest, or her "Tormento".
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken in the play and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play? Estela admits that she is not a citizen and may be deported if she cannot make enough money to make all of her payments. Every action in the factory from then on will affect the outcome of Estela's future, especially any wasted time. This pressure from the news causes a lot of stress and conflict throughout the play that ultimately leads to everyone getting along in the end.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place? At any time, immigration seems to be an issue in America, but it was especially prominent in 1987 when the Simpson-Rodino Amnesty Law was introduced. Los Angeles is a good place for this because it is closer to the borders with latin/central America, so that is where most hispanic or latino immigrants will be living. The government generally recognizes this and raids where they can find as many undocumented immigrants, generally in factories where they can be paid for cheap labor.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.) How will Estela pay for her factory and avoid being deported? This is answered when all of the women give up their paychecks. Is Carmen even really pregnant, considering she makes complaints about basically anything? We find out that the answer is in fact no when she visits the doctor. Why were the vans continually driving past the factory if they weren't entering the factory? At the end, we see the van picking up El Tormento, showing us that they were police vans the whole time investigating a drug crime.
5. Use Ana, the central character, to answer the questions. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is, the dramatic actions that are taken by that character. Examine what Ana wants (NOTE: In Real Women Ana's wants seem to be in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles. Ana seems to be against herself when she knows that she could refuse to work, but comes anyway. She continually writes in her journal about it, but only keeps it to herself and doesn't actually tell anyone else how she feels. Throughout the play, Ana seems to clash with her mother the most. Her mother tells her she is fat, she should not know about sex, and she should live to be finding a man. Ana is an obvious feminist, so her views are the complete opposite. Against society, she is at odds as a minority being a woman and hispanic. In a way, she wants to achieve the American dream of becoming educated and finding her career, but the issue of immigration has set her back from getting into college. If she did not have to deal with immigration, she could have already been in school with the financial aid she deserved. There was never really much mention of fate or even religion so to speak, most conflict with fate was more along the lines of which decision to make next and how it will affect her in the long run.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Real Women Have Curves. Every time Carmen notices a van outside, it causes a short period of suspense until they are gone and Estela is safe. Even though all of the women are legal except for Estela, they get scared for themselves, too. Later, an argument between Pancha and Estela, where the skirts were sewn wrong, causes Pancha to leave, with Rosali who fainted. This makes the audience concerned that the work will not be done and Estela will be deported. This is resolved when both women come back. Another theatrical moment that I believed to be very important was when all of the women stripped down and compared their bodies. It seemed that during the stress of all of the work, the women were able to find peace with themselves and each other knowing that they all have their own flaws but are still similar.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Real Women. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”) The first image we see is Estela's "Tormento" outside washing his car. It is expected for him to be very handsome, so we imagine a handsome man outside with all of the women gawking out the window while Estela goes outside to make her move. It's an image of general giddiness and excitement. Another image would be a room full of discourse when Estela discovers many things wrong with her dresses. From the stains to the burnt tulle, the importance of the images to the characters makes them very vivid to the imagination. It is very hectic and we can see a lot of emotion running through the room, especially for Estela. Lastly, the image of the women stripping down to their underwear is a very vivid image as well. The women are going back and forth comparing themselves, but that is overlooked by an image of comfort in their own bodies and friendship. The women do not even mind that they are stripped down and it is almost an image of relief.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Real Women. One big theme in the play is body image. The women continually go back and forth picking apart their own bodies and each other's bodies. They even go as far to say that fat women shouldn't be having sex, after seeing the dirty magazine full of bigger women. Ana makes a statement that women should be comfortable in their bodies and should not have to change or feel the need to look a certain way for anyone else, which is a theme that can be applied to feminist movements throughout history. A feminist theme comes into play when the idea of walking away from a man or turning down sex comes into question, and Ana explains that women have the right to do what they will with their bodies. There is also a theme of fear of the government. The play is full of innocent, hard working women that are just trying to get by, but are in constant fear of being deported, even though they are legal. This shows the injustice in the government and corruption in the immigration process. Many fear the government, even when they don't have to. A theme of togetherness and caring for others is very important. The whole group has conflict here and there, but in the end it is shown how much they truly cared about each other. They all made sacrifices of time and money for Estela, so she could achieve her dreams.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Real Women? Is family redefined in this play? If so, how and why? Family plays a big role in this play. Estela, Carmen, and Ana seem to have the most conflict, solely because they are related. This shows a very realistic relationship between mothers, daughters, and sisters. They are always pushing each other and bothering each other because they know that they will still love each other in the end. They contribute a lot to dramatic action because they argue but also confide in each other. They show love and annoyance. Most importantly, they all stay there, even when Rosali and Pancha leave. This play does not quite redefine family, rather is enforces the reality of family. It shows what real family relationships look like and does not sugar coat it at all, and I think that's wonderful.
The play begins on the morning of September 7th, 1987 in a sewing factory in Los Angeles. It opens with the factory workers walking in one by one, all hispanic women, some related. (Estela, Ana and Carmen) The story starts out with concerns over body image and fear of the government in terms of immigration and citizenship. The women also seem to be concerned with Estela's love interest, or her "Tormento".
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken in the play and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play?
Estela admits that she is not a citizen and may be deported if she cannot make enough money to make all of her payments. Every action in the factory from then on will affect the outcome of Estela's future, especially any wasted time. This pressure from the news causes a lot of stress and conflict throughout the play that ultimately leads to everyone getting along in the end.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
At any time, immigration seems to be an issue in America, but it was especially prominent in 1987 when the Simpson-Rodino Amnesty Law was introduced. Los Angeles is a good place for this because it is closer to the borders with latin/central America, so that is where most hispanic or latino immigrants will be living. The government generally recognizes this and raids where they can find as many undocumented immigrants, generally in factories where they can be paid for cheap labor.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
How will Estela pay for her factory and avoid being deported? This is answered when all of the women give up their paychecks. Is Carmen even really pregnant, considering she makes complaints about basically anything? We find out that the answer is in fact no when she visits the doctor. Why were the vans continually driving past the factory if they weren't entering the factory? At the end, we see the van picking up El Tormento, showing us that they were police vans the whole time investigating a drug crime.
5. Use Ana, the central character, to answer the questions. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is, the dramatic actions that are taken by that character. Examine what Ana wants (NOTE: In Real Women Ana's wants seem to be in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles.
Ana seems to be against herself when she knows that she could refuse to work, but comes anyway. She continually writes in her journal about it, but only keeps it to herself and doesn't actually tell anyone else how she feels. Throughout the play, Ana seems to clash with her mother the most. Her mother tells her she is fat, she should not know about sex, and she should live to be finding a man. Ana is an obvious feminist, so her views are the complete opposite. Against society, she is at odds as a minority being a woman and hispanic. In a way, she wants to achieve the American dream of becoming educated and finding her career, but the issue of immigration has set her back from getting into college. If she did not have to deal with immigration, she could have already been in school with the financial aid she deserved. There was never really much mention of fate or even religion so to speak, most conflict with fate was more along the lines of which decision to make next and how it will affect her in the long run.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Real Women Have Curves.
Every time Carmen notices a van outside, it causes a short period of suspense until they are gone and Estela is safe. Even though all of the women are legal except for Estela, they get scared for themselves, too. Later, an argument between Pancha and Estela, where the skirts were sewn wrong, causes Pancha to leave, with Rosali who fainted. This makes the audience concerned that the work will not be done and Estela will be deported. This is resolved when both women come back. Another theatrical moment that I believed to be very important was when all of the women stripped down and compared their bodies. It seemed that during the stress of all of the work, the women were able to find peace with themselves and each other knowing that they all have their own flaws but are still similar.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Real Women. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
The first image we see is Estela's "Tormento" outside washing his car. It is expected for him to be very handsome, so we imagine a handsome man outside with all of the women gawking out the window while Estela goes outside to make her move. It's an image of general giddiness and excitement. Another image would be a room full of discourse when Estela discovers many things wrong with her dresses. From the stains to the burnt tulle, the importance of the images to the characters makes them very vivid to the imagination. It is very hectic and we can see a lot of emotion running through the room, especially for Estela. Lastly, the image of the women stripping down to their underwear is a very vivid image as well. The women are going back and forth comparing themselves, but that is overlooked by an image of comfort in their own bodies and friendship. The women do not even mind that they are stripped down and it is almost an image of relief.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Real Women.
One big theme in the play is body image. The women continually go back and forth picking apart their own bodies and each other's bodies. They even go as far to say that fat women shouldn't be having sex, after seeing the dirty magazine full of bigger women. Ana makes a statement that women should be comfortable in their bodies and should not have to change or feel the need to look a certain way for anyone else, which is a theme that can be applied to feminist movements throughout history. A feminist theme comes into play when the idea of walking away from a man or turning down sex comes into question, and Ana explains that women have the right to do what they will with their bodies. There is also a theme of fear of the government. The play is full of innocent, hard working women that are just trying to get by, but are in constant fear of being deported, even though they are legal. This shows the injustice in the government and corruption in the immigration process. Many fear the government, even when they don't have to. A theme of togetherness and caring for others is very important. The whole group has conflict here and there, but in the end it is shown how much they truly cared about each other. They all made sacrifices of time and money for Estela, so she could achieve her dreams.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Real Women? Is family redefined in this play? If so, how and why?
Family plays a big role in this play. Estela, Carmen, and Ana seem to have the most conflict, solely because they are related. This shows a very realistic relationship between mothers, daughters, and sisters. They are always pushing each other and bothering each other because they know that they will still love each other in the end. They contribute a lot to dramatic action because they argue but also confide in each other. They show love and annoyance. Most importantly, they all stay there, even when Rosali and Pancha leave. This play does not quite redefine family, rather is enforces the reality of family. It shows what real family relationships look like and does not sugar coat it at all, and I think that's wonderful.